The Veggie Cook: Crunchy, sweet snack packed with nutrients

"Awesome" is the word. Probably the word your kids will use if you pack a peanut butter crunch bar into their lunch bag one day.

They're good. Really good. And, you can whip up a batch so quickly and easily. They have an endearing peanutty taste, and the chocolate drizzle and optional chopped nuts on top finish them off just right.

Best of all, you can make these bars knowing each is loaded with goodness. A single bar provides five grams of protein and has sweeteners that are less likely to bring on a high, followed by an abrupt letdown the way refined sugar does. What's more, if you choose whole-grain dry cereals, the nutritional value will be excellent and all who enjoy them will be getting good fiber, B and other vitamins.

Maple syrup, one of the sweeteners used, "is a natural, unrefined sweetener that has more to offer than most," said George Eisman, nutrition director of the Coalition for Cancer Prevention Through Plant-based Eating and author of "A Basic Course in Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition." It's an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc, Eisman said. He cautioned, though, that sugars eaten in excess can be harmful.

"It's good to pick natural sweeteners and to limit their use when sweetness is called for," Eisman said, stressing that sugars should be limited to 10 to 15 percent of calories per day.

Recipe tips

You can substitute almond butter or tahini, which is sesame seed paste, in place of peanut butter.

Two tablespoons of crushed, roasted peanuts may be sprinkled over the warm ganache and pressed in lightly.

Kay Stepkin is a vegetarian cooking class instructor and former owner of a vegetarian restaurant/bakery. E-mail her at foods@tribune.com.

Peanut butter crunch bars

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Makes: 16 bars

3/4 cup barley malt

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup creamy natural peanut butter

8 cups brown rice cereal

Ganache topping:

2 teaspoons soy milk

2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine

1 tablespoon barley malt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Place the barley malt, maple syrup and peanut butter in a saucepan; heat, whisking over medium heat, 2 minutes. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the rice cereal; stir with a spoon, then with your hands, until evenly distributed. Place mixture into an oiled 8-inch baking pan; press down firmly and evenly to cover bottom.

2. Place the soy milk, margarine and barley malt in a small saucepan; heat over low heat until smooth. Turn the heat down to simmer; whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. Drizzle over the cereal mixture; smooth with a rubber spatula. Let cool until topping is set; cut the mixture into bars.